Asia’s growing number of chocolate lovers will indulge their sweet tooth even as cocoa prices skyrocket to the highest level since the 1970s, a veteran of the industry says.

With more than half of the world’s people, Asia accounts for only roughly a quarter of cocoa consumption, making it a growth market for chocolate producers as populations — and disposable incomes — grow. Three years of pandemic restrictions dealt a severe blow, as entertaining, gifting and impulse purchases declined. Then the price of the key ingredient took off, thanks to punishing rains in West Africa.